Forest fires — Emissions in India

India: Forest fires — Emissions was 5.69 kt in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
5.69 kt
Change on year
up 3.4%
World rank
11th
of 219 countries
All-time high
19.39 kt
in 2021
All-time low
1.12 kt
in 2002
Years of data
35
1990–2024

Forest fires — Emissions in India, 1990–2024

051015201990200720241990: 7.6 kt1991: 7.6 kt1992: 7.6 kt1993: 7.6 kt1994: 7.6 kt1995: 7.6 kt1996: 1.5 kt1997: 1.3 kt1998: 1.3 kt1999: 2.7 kt2000: 1.5 kt2001: 1.6 kt2002: 1.1 kt2003: 5.7 kt2004: 9.2 kt2005: 5.5 kt2006: 6.1 kt2007: 9.9 kt2008: 5.8 kt2009: 18.6 kt2010: 15.3 kt2011: 7.6 kt2012: 18.1 kt2013: 10.7 kt2014: 8.8 kt2015: 6.4 kt2016: 8.5 kt2017: 13.4 kt2018: 11.1 kt2019: 6.6 kt2020: 3.4 kt2021: 19.4 kt2022: 8 kt2023: 5.5 kt2024: 5.7 kt

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in kt.

Analysis

In 2024, forest fires — emissions in India stood at 5.69 kt.

That represents a change of up 3.4% on the previous year and down 35.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, forest fires — emissions in India peaked at 19.39 kt in 2021 and was at its lowest, 1.12 kt, in 2002.

That places India 11th out of 219 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Forest fires — Emissions in India, year by year

Annual values for Forest fires — Emissions (N2O) in India, 1990 to 2024.
Year kt Change
1990 7.6 kt —
1991 7.6 kt +0.0%
1992 7.6 kt +0.0%
1993 7.6 kt +0.0%
1994 7.6 kt +0.0%
1995 7.6 kt +0.0%
1996 1.49 kt -80.4%
1997 1.27 kt -14.3%
1998 1.3 kt +1.8%
1999 2.72 kt +109.6%
2000 1.53 kt -43.6%
2001 1.65 kt +7.5%
2002 1.12 kt -32.0%
2003 5.69 kt +407.1%
2004 9.17 kt +61.2%
2005 5.54 kt -39.5%
2006 6.15 kt +10.9%
2007 9.9 kt +61.0%
2008 5.77 kt -41.7%
2009 18.62 kt +222.5%
2010 15.34 kt -17.6%
2011 7.61 kt -50.4%
2012 18.06 kt +137.4%
2013 10.72 kt -40.6%
2014 8.76 kt -18.3%
2015 6.38 kt -27.2%
2016 8.5 kt +33.3%
2017 13.36 kt +57.2%
2018 11.1 kt -16.9%
2019 6.63 kt -40.3%
2020 3.41 kt -48.6%
2021 19.39 kt +469.2%
2022 8.04 kt -58.5%
2023 5.5 kt -31.6%
2024 5.69 kt +3.4%

India compared with similar countries

  • India's 5.69 kt is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.0207 kt, 274.7× the median. (41 countries reporting)
  • India's 5.69 kt is above the median for South Asia, which is 0.2193 kt, 25.9× the median. (6 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Forest fires — Emissions in India changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2021 +469.2% 3.41 kt 19.39 kt
2003 +407.1% 1.12 kt 5.69 kt

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 5.24 kt 1.27 kt 7.6 kt 10
2000s 6.51 kt 1.12 kt 18.62 kt 10
2010s 10.65 kt 6.38 kt 18.06 kt 10
2020s 8.4 kt 3.41 kt 19.39 kt 5

Countries ranked near India

  1. 8 Russian Federation 6.44 kt compare
  2. 8 Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 3.58 kt compare
  3. 9 Canada 6.4 kt compare
  4. 10 Mexico 6.03 kt compare
  5. 10 Viet Nam 0.8436 kt compare
  6. 11 Democratic People's Republic of Korea 0.1117 kt compare
  7. 12 Cambodia 5.22 kt compare
  8. 12 Melanesia 0.1004 kt compare
  9. 13 Nepal 4.09 kt compare
  10. 13 Türkiye 0.0291 kt compare
  11. 14 Thailand 4.01 kt compare
  12. 14 Timor-Leste 0.0018 kt compare

See the full ranking of 272 places →

More climate change data for India

All data for India →

Frequently asked questions

What is forest fires — emissions in India?
Forest fires — emissions in India was 5.69 kt in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest forest fires — emissions recorded in India?
The highest recorded value was 19.39 kt in 2021.
What is the lowest forest fires — emissions recorded in India?
The lowest recorded value was 1.12 kt in 2002.
How does India rank for forest fires — emissions?
India ranks 11th out of 219 countries with data for 2024.
Is forest fires — emissions rising or falling in India?
Over the last ten years it is down 35.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this India data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Forest fires — Emissions (N2O). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Forest fires — Emissions in India. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 26 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/forest-fires-emissions-n2o-fao-tier-1/india/

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About this data

Indicator
Forest fires — Emissions (N2O)
Unit
kt
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
272 places, 9,294 data points, 1990–2024
Last refreshed

The FAOSTAT domain on Emissions from Fires consists of estimates of methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions generated from biomass burning in a range of vegetation types and from fires in organic soils.